*all dressed up with somewhere to go! =D

hello my lovely blog readers!!

i turn 37 today!! i love the odd number years,
because i love odd numbers in general. but
i’ve been mooching up the birthday loving all over
the internets rather shamelessly. i joke that i have
Summer Birthday Complex. you know. when you get
your lockers decorated on your birthday and balloons
and presents from your bff? me? everyone was gone on
august 29th every summer! no cupcakes to pass out,
no decorated lockers, no love notes from boys. okay,
perhaps the last bit is unrelated. =) OR NOT.

this week was quite a week. my mom visited
and she bought me pretty pewter flats that make my
feet look like boats. and we ate and shopped a lot!
i love my mommy! =)
i turned in my final line edits to my fantabulous
editor. i am so happy with Fury of the Phoenix and
am looking forward to doing copy edits next. we’re
so close!! very exciting.

then…well, then despite other things on my to do list,
i simply napped and read for pleasure a lot. like a lot.
and on saturday, i had my fun secret craft class and
finished another project. had a lovely lunch by myself
with k. a. stewart’s debut, A Devil in the Details. a great
read so far. i also tore through nicole peeler’s sequel
in her tempest series, Tracking the Tempest. so much fun!
i’ll be doing a giveaway soon. and read n. k. jemisin’s
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, which was fantastic!
all recommended. and all read this week! =)

then i had a lovely birthday date night and actually
took the time to dress up. (i usually opt for casual and
lazy, ha!) so note before birthday dinner foto above. =D

the best part of our lovely dinner was the dessert. the
“vietnamese alfogato” was condensed milk ice cream with
coffee nibs, vanilla mochi cubes, drizzled in espresso with
a side of cinnamon fritters, which were basically fresh mini
churros. SO GOOD! i already dug in as usual before taking a foto. =)

today was a nice birthday brunch and reading by the sea.
more relaxation. the bubs are home with me for two weeks
before school starts! then it truly is the end of summer.
and how fast it flew, i can only measure it by revisions i’ve
done. haha! i can’t wait for you to read Fury of the Phoenix! <3

it started with a lunch date with gretchen and
mike at the bread bar. a must every time i’m at scbwi.
i simply love bread and i love their food!! gretchen
just sold Banish, her debut out in 2012 with balzar & bray
about a 15 year old who conducts exorcisms. whoa!
mike, newly agented, has a middle grade humorous
sci-fi novel going on sub soon!

we ordered sliders. a lot of them.
and we ate them happily, while chattering
non-stop. it’s a wonder one of us didn’t choke
on a slider…or a hunk of brie.

amaris, who writes young adult fantasy,
joined us a little later. if i had to do a thought
bubble for mike, it’d be “how the hell did i get
so lucky?” yeah, mike. how did you? haha!

after going on a mini-shopping trip with gretchen,
we headed to the hotel pool where i got to meet
some of the musers for the first. all as delightful and
kooky as i thought they’d be. =D

*me and sophie! i’m her #asianmomstandin! =D

*sagers, hannah, gracie, me, sophie and
debra draped over us.

most of the musers left for a panel
and i hung out by the pool with gracie and jo, who
joined us a little later. that was relaxing and fun to
catch up with one another.

when it got a bit too shady and cool, i wandered into
the lounge and found jacqui, frank, then was joined by
barry and we chatted books for a while. before we knew it,
it was time for our rsb dinner at rock sugar! barry, the only
dude, came along. =)

we decided to go with the tasting menu, and because we
had seven people, wound up getting seventeen dishes.
that’s right, SEVENTEEN. you know what, i’m not even gonna
try to label what we ate. it was a feast.

*an assortment of tasty appetizers.

*papaya and mango salad.

*almost everything. more dishes kept coming
and i finally gave up. ha!

*wait! let’s get a group foto!
amber, jacqui, barry, me, debbie, sara and elise!

*the aftermath. i especially like how debbie’s got
her hand over her stomach. ha!

*bannana brulee cake with ice cream and
coconut donuts. what!

and can you believe, after that meal, i barely
zipped myself into a betty draper dress to party
at the gala!

*i’m so glad suz came to find me. it wouldn’t
be an scbwi conference if i didn’t take a foto with
suz! <3

*me with the fabulous martha and edna.

*sophie is a sweetheart. i’m proud to be her
#asianmomstandin. study hard sophie! don’t
forget to floss and, er, eat apples and carrots! =D

*also so happy the gorgeous jo came to take a foto
with me. that dress is much more stunning ON you, jo!!

*me with the radiant gracie, adam and sophie.
adam wins points by grinning very much like munchkin
right now when we ask for a foto.

*and i’ll end this post with a foto from my wonderful
rsb friends. you are all awesome and i’m so glad we got
a chance to hang out, if only for a few hours!
[debbie, elise, jill, sara, amber, jacqui and me.]

wow! i wasn’t kidding about my full day, huh?
i think i’m still recovering from it!!

i’ll leave you with a post on food in fantasy
by yours truly over at the enchanted inkpot.
also, i DO have a follow up post on san diego
comic-con international and a huge #tgifbm!
giveaway coming next monday!! stay tuned… =D

currently reading :

everlasting by angie frazier

my friend was kind enough to offer to babysit
the bubs so the love and i could go on a date night
to greens, probably our favorite restaurant in SF.
it’s in fort mason and completely vegetarian.
saturdays are set courses and that’s when we went!

i got the potato griddle cakes as a starter.

and the ravioli for the entree.

the love got a quiche type thing. that’s mushrooms on
the top!

my dessert was chocolate and hazelnut torte with
nut crunch candy.

he got the lemon meyer cheesecake. (i’m not
a fan of cheesecake!) or anything sweet made
of cream cheese (like frosting).

our sunset view. =)

it was a lovely meal and evening.
an early 13th anniversary celebration for us!
till next time…

started off monday morning with a authorly
date at tartine. met with the lovely cheryl herbsman
(Breathing) and malinda lo (Ash). we spent two hours
chatting and laughing and eating! definitely a highlight
among many fun moments during my short trip.

i jumped right into revising when i got back,
as short school days and spring break had kept
me from three hour chunks of writing time that
i love. it’s going very well and i’m excited by the
changes and improvements i’m making, with v’s
global comments and suggestions.

hoorah for sequel love!

tonight, i begin a new secret class in the name
of research. *grins*

currently reading :

the wizard heir by cinda williams chima

i had the pleasure of meeting and having a lovely
lunch with sarah. she’s living my dream life, getting
a doctorate at cambridge AND also writing historical
fiction in the elizabethan era that i REALLY want to read.
i hope some smart editor buys her novel(s) soon!!!

mmm. the english fudge stand at camden town!

camden town is one of my favorite markets!
here, diners sit on moped seats along the
camden loch. i couldn’t find the antiques section
of camden town. was searching very hard for it
to find…a tarot card reader. yes! i had a very
interesting reading by her in september 2007
about my writing career. but she wasn’t meant to
be found! boo.

and no, i don’t usually get tarot readings. my best
friend and i did it on a lark and then got scared
by how accurate she was. haha!

fruits made from marzipan in the food hall at
harrod’s! also glimpses of turkish delights–which
i always buy. i love their turkish delights!

walking from piccadilly to leicester square.

a fancy version of the english breakfast.
always a favorite indulgence while on holiday
in england! just say no to bacon! i never eat the
stuff. bleah!

and this was a foto from our last day in london.
the bubs near liverpool street station. =)

have been working diligently to prepare for our art
show in balboa park’s spanish village in mid march!

will leave you with some great links :

kirsten lesko, a fabulous critique friend, launches her
blog “sell your novel, not your soul”. she discusses all things
regarding writing and marketing yourself and your books!
click over and say hi at disobedientwriter.com!!
(can’t decide which is cooler, her tag line or her url!)

we’re trying to raise some money for YABC (young
adults book central) so it can get a much needed make
over. there’s an auction going with signed books (including
Silver Phoenix and three of my note cards of your choice!)
as well as critique of pages by authors. so check it out!!

i also interview fellow greenwillowite david macinnis gill
on his great debut, Soul Enchilada, over at the enchanted inkpot!

february and i have yet to post my christmas
london fotos! today is my tribute to one of the
best greek restaurants i’ve ever been to. lemonia
in primrose hill. interestingly enough, we also went
to an excellent greek restaurant in vienna (ah, if
only i remembered the name?). we ate well in
crete of course (for the love’s 26th birthday, when
i was living in london). i’ve yet to find the delicious tomato
stuffed with ground lamb and rice dish anywhere since.

*a vegetarian version of keftedes made from zucchini.
and the cucumber yogurt dip, taziki.

*i ordered two appetizers as my main meal. dolmas, a favorite
of mine stuffed with rice and minced lamb wrapped in grape leaves,
and artichoke with beans. so so delicious!!

*my dessert that was the most heavenly thing i’ve ever
tasted. my first time trying greek yogurt! fresh fruit,
drizzled in honey with chopped almonds!

if you’re ever in london and in the primrose hill area,
GO TO lemonia!! the service is fantastic too!

on our last day in london, we went to spitalfields market.
alas, it was a weekday, cold and wet, and most of the stalls
weren’t there. so there wasn’t much to browse thorough. BUT
upon leaving the covered market, i came across this boutique.

it’s called Queens and absolutely insane.
i had to wander through it, altho the bubs weren’t
allowed, as it was a small intimate room crammed with
fragile things dangling and skewed from every nook
and corner!

if you are willing to take one travel advice from me, it
is this. ALWAYS buy something that you like while away
from home. because it will be a wonderful reminder of your
trip and most likely, you will never get a chance to buy the
same item again and regret it horribly.

i speak from experience. during my trip to hk, we had gone
to a nightmarket and i saw a set of little twin stars pajamas.
LITTLE TWIN STARS PAJAMAS!! i love little twin stars! so
much cooler than the newer sanrio stuff. i tried to bargain
with the merchant (as all tour books recommend and really
as required of me since i’m a shopping chinese girl in hong kong!)
and got shot down. the pjs were probably all of $25 but i refused
to buy them out of principle. and look at me, thinking about them
still over seven years later!!

this is my favorite purchase from london!
her name is iris and she is my new lucky writing
charm! she is clutching books and has them stacked
on her head, dolled up with glasses and sparkly lipstick
with a latte pressed to her side. she cost me 20# but i
didn’t hesitate to get her. =D i smile every time i see her!

thanks to all who entered the fantastic TGIFBM giveaway.
stephanie ruble was the lucky winner! i’m not so good about
announcing every time but i do choose winners! =)

currently reading :

mistwood by leah cypess

we visited san francisco on my 30th birthday
in august 2003, when i was around seven months pregnant
with sweet pea. fotos were taken, me with my
rotund belly, but i can’t be bothered to resurrect
them. and in november 2003…

…sweet pea arrived!

i was fortunate enough to take an entire year
off from work, and much to my surprise, found
out we were expecting munchkin when sweet pea
was just seven months old. i cried.
i felt very sorry for myself. haha! to this day, i call
munchkin “my favorite mistake”. =p

we traveled to london at least once a year all
these years. in 2004, we went twice, once
in the spring and once over christmas. (again, fotos
not readily available.)

in march of 2005, munchkin arrived!

the love and i began discussing perhaps
moving to a bigger home, which was a three
bedroom bungalow. but we loved this area so
much, instead, we decided to add a new master
and bath toward the back of our house and gut
the kitchen and dark tiny dining area to the studs
and open it up to our living room. (the one public
living space.)

from january 2006 through june, my only living
space was three bedrooms and two bathrooms. the
guest bath was converted into a place i could do the
dishes. i tried cooking soup udon noodles on a bunsen
burner in the bathroom once. i didn’t do it again!
we ordered take out a lot!
at the time, both bubs were at home with me full time.
honestly, i’m not sure how i survived.
i chose almost everything for the remodel, from cabinet
doorknobs to lights to dining room table and chairs,
doing all my research (and much of the shopping) online.

i was an hgtv fiend during that time. and
tho i still enjoy many of the shows, i don’t watch
the home redecorating so much any more.
my decor tastes are pretty eclectic, tho i think
ideally, beach cottage is what i would love best.
bright, clean, cheery. that reading nook in the
master overlooking the garden was meant to be
a walk in closet. (what a waste of the views!) and
originally, the claw foot tub was a monstrosity of
a giant square jacuzzi thing stuck in the corner in
the original designs. i requested all the changes,
including over sized windows where the tub sits.

and a blog post from that year.

23 July 2006
..long drawn..

i spent over five hours this
weekend writing and editing
my story. i am nearly at 10k
words now. it is a painstaking
process. and lonely business
at that. i am too close to it
to know whether it is good
or interesting.

i am meeting with my monthly
read and critique group this
tuesday night. a writer
cannot ask for anything more
than good honest criticism.

that and thousands of
adoring fans.

(ha! and yes, this is my rough
drafting of Silver Phoenix.)

in september 06, we had professional
family portraits taken on the beach.

in spring 2007, i somehow convinced
my mom to look after the bubs while the
love and i escaped to fiji for ten days for our
ten year anniversary. my mom flew my aunt
from china to help. when i returned. she said
it was the hardest days of her life. (i am her only
child, and she’s not at all used to little boys, hee!)
i pretty much knew i wouldn’t be asking her for
the same favor again for another ten years. =p

we were in northern fiji, at the yasawa islands.
the blue lagoon was filmed in this area of fiji.
the resort we stayed at (very small with private bungalows)
was steps from the private beach and a few feet beyond
there was an amazing reef full of sea life and coral.
(all the underwater fotos were taken by me while snorkeling!)
i would often poke my head above water and look back onto
the beach, marveling the beauty just ten feet from the sand,
completely hidden from view if you were just glancing seaward.

at night, i saw the most stars i’d ever seen my entire
life. the experience was written into Silver Phoenix, when
ai ling takes a bath in a certain river.

in january 2008, i began querying for an agent for
Silver Phoenix. another blog entry…

27 March 2008
..numbers game..

nine weeks into my agent querying

total queries sent : 109

rejections :38

rejections assumed : 8

partials requested : 18

partials rejected : 9

fulls requested : 4

fulls rejected : 1

rejection with inviation to submit new project : 3

rejection with invitation to submit revised beginning : 1

have yet to respond : 41

that same month, we took another trip to taiwan,
the bubs’ first to my birthplace. i’m so glad that we
did, as that summer, my uncle fell ill suddenly
and died. =( he was always our tour guide and a very
gracious host for all our visits, and
a wonderful father to both my girl cousins. they and
my aunt were devastated. i was so happy that we took
this trip and was able to spend some time together as
a family that year.

*the 101 building. was the tallest building
in the world for a short time.

*how is it that i can smell them and am
now actually salivating?

*i love LOVE LOVE taiwanese street food.

*the market on a typical day.

*the asian food courts at the department stores put
the american ones to shame. this meal cost me $4. yeah,
good thing i don’t live in taiwan!!

*the taiwanese dessert chua bing (crushed ice).
i love mine with tapioca balls, taro, barley and
condensed milk. damn. i’m drooling even more now. ha!

within a week after my query stats post, in early april
2008, agent bill contardi offered to represent me. about
six weeks later, my novel sold in mid-may.

which brings us to 2009, the most wonderful, amazing,
stressful and exhausting unforgettable year yet. but i don’t
think i need to document 2009? you can just click on my
archives. =)

as i said, we made it safely back from england!
i won’t lie, it was one of the most stressful
and coldest jaunts ever. sweet pea was air sick
the entire eleven hours there and back. =( i was
hoping she would get better as she got older
but this trip was the worst yet. we gave her over
the counter medication on the flight back and it
didn’t help one bit. she’s traumatized over flights
now. =( we flew back with heightened security
which meant further stress and delays. i was just
so happy to be back home safe again!!

*to high 70’s weather and surfers galore!
those are my boys in the corner. =D

this doesn’t mean i didn’t manage to enjoy
my trip. i’m returning to my favorite city after all!
i went into london for the weekend by myself to
see my best friend, and we had such fun!

*i loved this “christmas tree” outside the
royal academy art institute on piccadilly.

*and right adjacent wedged into a tiny corner
of an arcade was this french macaron shop.

*yes, please! we had to let the macaron
shopwoman fill our boxes for us. i bought
a dozen: pistachio, chestnut, praline, vanilla,
chocolate and coffee. yes, i remember! i tried
the praline and chestnut.

*and probably one of the highlights of this
trip, my best friend took me to the wolsely
for afternoon tea. oh, it was just gorgeous
inside and completely full our entire 2 or so
hours there! it’s a place i’ve walked past many
times with the love and bubs and said, we wouldn’t
be welcome there. ha! but it was more casual than
the ritz close by, which required black tie for tea!

*so so delicious. the restaurant had a no fotos
policy so i was trying my best to be quick and
surreptitious. meep!

i’m still a little jet lagged, but almost fully
recovered. i have a feeling 2010 will be a very
exciting year–tho 2009 will be a difficult one
to top, certainly!

it’s a special year as my publisher, greenwillow books
just celebrated 35 years! to mark the occasion,
we’ve started a blog, under the green willow. there
will be fun and interesting posts, including the
inaugural post by my fantabulous editor, virginia!
do check it out and say hello!

(my munchkin would LOVE that Fire Truck book!)

the place was nearly full at 6pm!
i was glad we made a reservation. also
love sitting at the bar–near the food. ha!

burdock (sort of like bamboo but tougher?
we still don’t know what it is!), japanese seaweed
(which i liked. and i don’t usually like seaweed much),
cold mackerel pickled in vinager (only the love ate
this and he says it’s just like the english stuff. gah!)
and a rice ball with salted salmon in the middle. yum!

a favorite of mine. daikon (like white carrots) w actual
carrots, yam cakes and tofu. the yam cakes scare me.
i thought they would be chewy like mochi, which i love.
but they have a crunchy consistency and are savory!

grilled yellowtail. again, mostly eaten by the
love. i did have two bites. delicious!

chino’s grilled sweet corn. SO GOOD!
chino’s is a fancy organic farm in san diego.
we also ordered “kama” for the first time. i was
completely wrong in thinking it’d be like rice
porridge. instead, it was seven grain rice cooked
with chestnuts dry, so the bottom is a little
bit burned. so yummy! they change the kama
featured ingredients each day. the chestnuts and
sweet corn made me feel very autumnal.

one of my favorite dishes! agedashi tofu.
if it’s on the menu, i’ll most likely get it.
interestingly, to “eat tofu” in mandarin means
to flirt.

i decided to try the green tea (love green tea!)
panna cotta and it wasn’t at all what i expected.
it was like a green tea mousse with a dollop of red
bean on it. SO GOOD! you see i ate a few bites before
i remembered i had to take a foto. ha!

we then watched 2012 which we both enjoyed.
i was sort of meh at another end of the world
film but i liked this one. everyone says you need
to suspend your disbelief but i had no trouble.
the visuals were amazing. i also liked the small
ways they tried to tell you something about each
character–it’s harder with film. do we expect as
much characterization from films as we do from
the books we read?

some silver phoenix fun!

a super fun and cute review by twelve
year old gwen. i LOVE the foto!

and sarah rees brennan’s [The Demon's
Lexicon] hilarious take on Silver Phoenix. =D

currently reading :

the demon’s lexicon by sarah rees brennan

ETA : and the lucky winner of hannah’s debut
BREAK is kiersten! thanks for sharing your terrible
injuries with me guys!

the view across from the restaurant.
i thought it was interesting–space is so
limited in manhattan.

arshi told me i must get the churros.
and oh, is it a must. SO SO GOOD. freshly
fried–i skipped on the chocolate dip.

my eggs dish with veggies and cheese
was baked and delicious.

after brunch, i met up with k at books of
wonder. then i signed stock at union square
barnes and noble and walked through a great
art fair. i bought some things!

this man does sock puppet portraits!
here is his website : martystuff.com

i loved the colors this artist used
in the paintings.

it was fantastic weather!
this foto makes me wonder how many
random tourists shots i’ve wandered
into unknowingly?

sunday night was my friend’s wedding
in brooklyn at bubby’s. it was a perfect venue
on a beautiful day! the taxi driver from manhattan
couldn’t really figure out the directions and *i* had
to try and do it. and i’m awful with directions. ugh.
thankfully, i wasn’t late!

a blurry foto of the bride and groom.
her friend made the wedding cake as well
as cupcakes for all the guests!

on monday, i met with agent bill for
the first time and he took me to the
artisenal for lunch. it was a really nice
restaurant, one that the love would enjoy
very much! (he loves wine and cheese!)

the french onion soup was superb.

agent bill got some sort of cheese and
meat sandwich with a fried egg on top!
it had a crazy french name.

i tried this simple platter. and it came
with a basket of bread. very yummy! i
actually didn’t begin to eat or appreciate
cheese until i lived in london with the love.
growing up, i never ate cheese in my chinese
food only family.

it’s a good thing i ate light as my taxi ride to
jfk had me nearly hurling. ha! i think i tweeted
for my life much during that lurchy ride.

nyc regrets :

1. not eating a nyc bagel. all my
meals were planned and i couldn’t squeeze
one in!

2. not buying a bagel or coffee or donut
from one of those carts. i used to be faithful
to a man on the corner of astor. then i cheated
on him w a bagel shop near apartment and would
actually cross the street to avoid seeing him. =|

3. not walking around washington square park
and nyu. esp now that gossip girl is there! nyu
wouldn’t allow felicity to use uni name while i was
there. they must have had a change of heart on
such policies since then!

4. not meeting and hanging out with my friends
longer. again, lack of time. boo.

5. not getting to eat at some favorite restaurants.

currently immersed in revising and snot. 8)